Thank God for Felix Felicis
by wizkid555
Summary: Ron has left Slughorn's classroom on the first day with one goal in mind: to get some felix felicis and see what happens. Hopefully, something with Hermione.


**I got the idea for this story from a bit of fan art at (****.com/****)**

**You should seriously check it out after this story…**

**I do now own Harry Potter (but I love it) and all rights go to J.K.R. (…love her too)**

**Thank God for Felix Felicis**

**Chapter One: The Potion**

The air in the dungeon classroom was almost overwhelming to Ron, but not impossible to handle. He had always felt a little light headed when entering potions, especially when Snape had taught there, but today was different. Now that Slughorn was teaching the magical art, it probably wouldn't be so bad. And, of course, Harry would be there to help him, as best he could that is.

Focusing back on reality, Ron looked around for a place to sit down, but his attention was quickly drawn to his side. Sitting on a wooden bench were four medium sized cauldrons, black and course, each with a specific liquid casually swimming within them. Of course, Ron hadn't the foggiest idea what the potions were, but he hoped they weren't poisons; he couldn't stand learning one more thing about poisons or their antidotes ever since Snape inconspicuously hinted that he would poison someone as a demonstration during a lesson last year. Plus, potions was never Ron's strongest subject.

He looked back up to find a seat with his friends. Hermione was standing in front of him, also admiring the potions. Ron had a funny feeling that she already identified each potion and was preparing what to say when Slughorn started questions about them.

Just as the three sat down, the teacher appeared; Slughorn was exactly as Ron imagined, especially the mustache. Harry grinned at Ron, who lazily grinned back.

"Now then, now then, now then. Scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of _Advanced Potion-Making_," said Slughorn.

Harry immediately asked for the materials Slughorn had just listed for himself and Ron, since Professor McGonagall instructed the two to come to potions only that morning. As quickly as the problem emerged, it disappeared. Slughorn handed them both copies of _Advanced Potions-Making_ by Libatius Borage and two tarnished scales.

"Now then," said Slughorn as he walked to the front of the class, "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kinds of things you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You outght to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't mad 'em out yet."

Ron instinctively turned to Hermione, who was almost dying to shout out each of the potion's names. However snobbish Hermione might have looked didn't matter to Ron; he found her know-it-all attitude quite cute, sometimes.

Slughorn turned to one to the black cauldrons near the Slytherins , and waited for someone to tell him what liquid was. Hermione's hand was the first to go into the air (not a surprise) and answered as if reciting the definition from the book Slughorn had just handed to Ron and Harry.

"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," she said.

"Very good," Slughorn replied. "Now, this one here is pretty well known. It's even featured in a few recent Ministry leaflets."

Slughorn was now pointing to a slowly bubbling and muddy substance in the cauldron nearest the Ravenclaw table.

Again, Hermione's hand was raised.

"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir," she said. "It allows the drinker to transform into the physical form of another."

"Excelent, excellent! Now, this one here…yes, my dear." Slughorn turned, again, towards Hermione.

"It's Amortentia."

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask, but I assume you know what it does?"

Ron kept eye contact with Hermione the entire time and wondered if she was either enjoying herself or just didn't know when to stop. _Overkill Hermione_, he kept saying to himself. _Don't over kill it_. But Hermione kept going and responded to Slughorn's question with the quickest of ease

"it's the most powerful love potion in the woirld!"

Slughorn looked impressed. "Quite right! You recognize it, I suppose, by its distimctive mother-of-pear sheen?"

"And the team rising in characteristic spirals," Hermione added enthusiastically. "It's supposed to smell differently to us according to what attracts us. For example, I smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and…"

Hermione had abruptly stopped midsentence and started to blush. Ron, however, wanted to hear more. He could have sworn that she was about to say something that started with "R," and this was starting to bother him. Not focusing on the questions Slughorn was asking Hermione, Ron was working hard trying to compile different things that Hermione could have said starting with R. Being her close friend for the last five years, he thought he would know. _If only I had a little luck to help me_, he thought.

"Did you really tell him I'm the best in the year? Oh, Harry!" Hermione whispered.

Not realizing what was going on, Ron decided to pay attention again and enter in on the conversation the best way he knew how: with compliments.

"Well, what's so impressive about that?" he whispered back. "You _are_ the best in the year – I'd've told him so if he's asked me!"

Hermione smiled but made a "shhing" gesture. Confused about what he said was wrong, Ron made a disgruntled gesture.

"And now," said Slughorn, "it is time for us to start work."

But before anyone had time to begin, Ernie Macmillan pointed to the last cauldron on Slughorn's desk, which appeared to be filled with liquid gold, and said, "But sir, you still haven't told us about that one."

Slughorn's face suddenly filled with excitement, making his moth grin and eyes open wide.

"Oho! Yes. That. Well, _that_ one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis."

Ron looked up in excitement; for once he knew of a potion that Hermione needed to research beforehand. The memories came rushing back to him as if they had only occurred seconds before entering the classroom. Ron was eight and Fred and George had found a copy of one of their brothers' _Advanced Potions-Making_ book. Taking advantage of the opportunity, they decided to test out some of the recipes. After spending a month scavenging for ingredients, the ambitious duo brewed an cauldron of Felix Felicis (a potion that makes one lucky) thinking that, once completed and drunk, they could pull unimaginable pranks and appear innocent. Of course, they needed a test subject for the potion before drinking it themselves.

Seeing how Ron was young and willing, the twins recruited him to take a sip of the golden liquid. To their surprise, the potion seemed to work and allowed Ron to temporarily conquer his fear of spiders by avoiding the bugs no matter how many of them Fred and George made appear with magic. However, after only twenty minutes, Ron began to accidentally break mirrors, open umbrellas inside the house, spill salt, and unconsciously walk underneath ladders. The potion, ironically, had also made Ron the most unlucky person in the world for a day.

Again, Ron finished daydreaming and focused on class, in which the professor had offered to give away a vial filled with the liquid luck.

"So, how are you to win my fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of _Advanced Potions-Making_, of course. We have a little over half an hour left to us, which should be enough time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death," said a suddenly brisk Slughorn.

Ron had heard all that he needed to hear. He quickly ran to the cupboard like the rest of the class and retrieved the required ingredients, but quickly realized that Slughorn's challenge was much more difficult than expected. Cutting the sopophorous bean was hard due to the annoying fact that it almost seemed to bounce when being cut by a knife.

He looked up at Hermione to see what she was doing and saw that she too was having trouble cutting her beans. Harry, on the other hand, was already finished with this step and seemed to be almost done. Hermione also became curious about Harry's progress and started to pester him on what he was doing to his potion. Her hair, to Ron's amusement, was growing bushier and bushier by the second. It was something he seemed to enjoy.

His potion, on the other hand, was a different story. Filling Ron's cauldron was a substance that looked like liquid licorice. He tried to fix it, but instead kept cursing under his breath.

"And time's up!" called Slughorn.

A pit of sadness and regret opened in Ron's abdomen. He knew he had lost before Slughorn had even judged him (which also wasn't pretty). To Ron's surprise, it wasn't Hermione who won the prize, it was Harry. Harry, who never even cared about potions, was the best potions brewer in the classroom. The only look Ron had on his face was one of bewilderment.

At dinner, Harry explained that he only won because of the "special instructions" inked into the potions book Slughorn gave him at the start of class. And before Ron knew it, Hermione and Ginny were chastising Harry for taking the book's advice. Although he was jealous of Harry success, Ron knew that he would have done the same thing Harry did and decided not to get involve. Especially since Hermione appeared to be extremely angry at the moment and he didn't want to bother her.

As they all finished desert, Ron turned to Hermione and tapped her shoulder.

"Yes Ron?" she asked.

"I was just thinking Hermione, just because Harry has some liquid luck, doesn't mean we can't have any either."

"Are you talking about stealing some of Harry's Felix Felicis?" she asked, shocked and confused.

"No, of course not! I'm just saying that maybe we could make some, especially since you're so bloody brilliant when it comes to these things."

"But Ron, You heard what Professor Slughorn said. It's `desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong.' I don't want to see anyone get hurt for no reason!"

Ron had almost looked over this important fact, probably because he wasn't paying attention when Slughorn was discussing the drawbacks to the potion. How, then, was he going to make the potion? But the answer suddenly hit him like a bludger: the twins.


End file.
